Trump Screws Over More American Workers, With An Assist From The Democrats, Of Course (75+% Of Workers Are Employed By Companies Exempt From Providing Paid Leave)

Donald Trump's daily praise and promised support for "the American worker" has turned out to be as false and meaningless as every other promise he has made in his life that didn't involve shoving fist-fulls of cash into his own pockets.

Who could have ever guessed?

Igor Derysh, Salon, April 3, 2020:

The Trump administration has quietly issued new guidance that will exempt many small businesses from having to provide some workers with paid leave during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department of Labor issued a temporary rule Wednesday that effectively exempted businesses with fewer than 50 workers from being required to provide 12 weeks of paid leave for workers whose children are suddenly at home from school or child care under the coronavirus stimulus package signed by President Donald Trump.

Democrats already agreed to exclude workers at large companies with more than 500 employees from being eligible for sick leave during negotiations with Republicans. As a result, more than 75% of American workers are employed by companies not required to provide them with sick leave during the pandemic.

The bill passed by Congress said businesses with fewer than 50 employees could be eligible for exemptions if they prevent the business from being able to function, The New York Times reported. The Trump administration's guidance has effectively exempted these businesses entirely from having to provide paid leave to workers who have to take care of their families, though it still requires them to provide paid leave if employees themselves get sick. ...

Economists also sounded the alarm over a provision that exempts health care workers. ...

"And just like that, the Congressional oversight provisions for the 1/2 TRILLION dollar Wall St slush fund (which were *already* too weak) are tossed away the day the bill is signed," [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.] tweeted. "This is a frightening amount of public money to have given a corrupt admin [with zero] accountability."